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Bonus Chapter: The Second Lieutenant Goes to Battle!
Synopsis The chapter opens with Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc wondering what a "country boy" like him is doing in an illustrious place such as the Armstrong Manor. Flashback to a few moments ago: Havoc arrives to work with news that his girlfriend dumped him due to the fact he's more focused on his work. Alex Louis Armstrong notes the sadness of the affair, and Roy Mustang adds that any real man should be able to juggle his work and his love life without problems, much to the chagrin of Havoc. When Mustang suggests Alex find a new girlfriend for the downtrodden Havoc, the Major does have an option: his sister. When Alex goes into detail about her, noting how she has his own features, Havoc immediately gets a bad mental image of "Alexandra Louise Armstrong" and runs for the door. However, Mustang stops him and calms him down, stating that if a country boy like Havoc got cozy with a prestigious family like the Armstrongs, he'd be on the fast track to fortune. He orders Havoc to date Armstrong's sister, and Havoc notes how much fun Mustang is having torturing him. Back to the present day: Havoc meets the head of the Armstrong family, Philip Gargantos Armstrong, and is subsequently driven to boredom by the elder Armstrong's speech about the family's history. When Alex's mother enters the room, Havoc is slightly relieved that she's normal...then he notices that she's as tall as Alex! More bad mental images.... Mrs. Armstrong asks Armstrong's sister, Catherine, to stop being shy and meet Havoc. The poor lieutenant wonders what she'll look like (and hopes she doesn't look like Alex), and an incredibly pretty girl enters the room. Instantly, Havoc has a complete hormonal about-face and is stunned by Catherine's beauty. When Havoc wonders what Alex meant when he said Catherine and he looked alike, Alex points out that they share the distinct Armstrong eyelashes. Ignoring that, Havoc asks Catherine if she has any hobbies. He swoons when she says she likes to play the piano and thinks that there's no way she can be related to Alex, only to retract that thought when she adds that she also likes to pick up the piano. Havoc, who is thoroughly impressed with Catherine, asks her out. Sadly, she rejects him, stating that she only dates men as strong as her brother. Havoc is crushed and later spends a week in bed crying. When Riza Hawkeye notes his absence, Mustang notes how difficult it is to build a male-female relationship, much to Riza's confusion. Trivia *The events of this chapter would be adapted into parts of Episode 37: The Flame Alchemist, The Bachelor Lieutenant, and the Mystery of Warehouse 13 (2003 series). *Catherine, as well as most of the Armstrong family, make their unofficial debut in this chapter. *The reason why Havoc was hesitant to meet Catherine was that he thought she actually looked like the Major. Ironically, it's later revealed that Alex has two other sisters, Amue and Strongine, who bear a strong resemblance to Alex. *According to Philip, the Armstrongs have served Amestris for 180 years.